What is a merged cell in excel

Merge and unmerge cells

You can’t split an individual cell, but you can make it appear as if a cell has been split by merging the cells above it.

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Merge cells

  1. Select the cells to merge.

  2. Select Merge & Center.

    Important: When you merge multiple cells, the contents of only one cell (the upper-left cell for left-to-right languages, or the upper-right cell for right-to-left languages) appear in the merged cell. The contents of the other cells that you merge are deleted.

Unmerge cells

  1. Select the Merge & Center down arrow.

  2. Select Unmerge Cells.

Important: 

  • You cannot split an unmerged cell. If you are looking for information about how to split the contents of an unmerged cell across multiple cells, see Distribute the contents of a cell into adjacent columns.

  • After merging cells, you can split a merged cell into separate cells again. If you don’t remember where you have merged cells, you can use the Find command to quickly locate merged cells.

Merging combines two or more cells to create a new, larger cell. This is a great way to create a label that spans several columns.

In the example here, cells A1, B1, and C1 were merged to create the label “Monthly Sales” to describe the information in rows 2 through 7.

Merge cells above other cells

Merge cells

Merge two or more cells by following these steps:

  1. Select two or more adjacent cells you want to merge.

    Important: Ensure that the data you want to retain is in the upper-left cell, and keep in mind that all data in the other merged cells will be deleted. To retain any data from those other cells, simply copy it to another place in the worksheet—before you merge.

  2. On the Home tab, select Merge & Center.
    On the Home tab, select Merge & Center

Tips: 

  • If Merge & Center is disabled, ensure that you’re not editing a cell—and the cells you want to merge aren’t formatted as an Excel table. Cells formatted as a table typically display alternating shaded rows, and perhaps filter arrows on the column headings.

  • To merge cells without centering, click the arrow next to Merge and Center, and then click Merge Across or Merge Cells.

Unmerge cells

If you need to reverse a cell merge, click onto the merged cell and then choose Unmerge Cells item in the Merge & Center menu (see the figure above).

Split text from one cell into multiple cells

You can take the text in one or more cells, and distribute it to multiple cells. This is the opposite of concatenation, in which you combine text from two or more cells into one cell.

For example, you can split a column containing full names into separate First Name and Last Name columns:

Before and after of text split into different columns

Follow the steps below to split text into multiple columns:

  1. Select the cell or column that contains the text you want to split.

  2. Note: Select as many rows as you want, but no more than one column. Also, ensure that are sufficient empty columns to the right—so that none of your data is deleted. Simply add empty columns, if necessary.

  3. Click Data >Text to Columns, which displays the Convert Text to Columns Wizard.

  4. Click Delimited > Next.

  5. Check the Space box, and clear the rest of the boxes. Or, check both the Comma and Space boxes if that is how your text is split (such as «Reyes, Javiers», with a comma and space between the names). A preview of the data appears in the panel at the bottom of the popup window.

    Step 2 in the wizard, Under Delimeters, pick how your data is split; Under Preview, you can see a preview of your data

  6. Click Next and then choose the format for your new columns. If you don’t want the default format, choose a format such as Text, then click the second column of data in the Data preview window, and click the same format again. Repeat this for all of the columns in the preview window.
    Step 3 in the wizard, Text option selected

  7. Click the Collapse Dialog Box button image button to the right of the Destination box to collapse the popup window.

  8. Anywhere in your workbook, select the cells that you want to contain the split data. For example, if you are dividing a full name into a first name column and a last name column, select the appropriate number of cells in two adjacent columns.

    Select the cells where you want to paste your split cells

  9. Click the Expand button button to expand the popup window again, and then click the Finish button.

    Click the Expand button

Merging combines two or more cells to create a new, larger cell. This is a great way to create a label that spans several columns. For example, here cells A1, B1, and C1 were merged to create the label “Monthly Sales” to describe the information in rows 2 through 7.

Merge cells above other cells

Merge cells

  1. Click the first cell and press Shift while you click the last cell in the range you want to merge.

    Important: Make sure only one of the cells in the range has data.

  2. Click Home > Merge & Center.

    merge and center button on the ribbon

    If Merge & Center is dimmed, make sure you’re not editing a cell or the cells you want to merge aren’t inside a table.

    Tip: To merge cells without centering the data, click the merged cell and then click the left, center or right alignment options next to Merge & Center.

    If you change your mind, you can always undo the merge by clicking the merged cell and clicking Merge & Center.

Unmerge cells

To unmerge cells immediately after merging them, press Ctrl + Z. Otherwise do this:

  • Click the merged cell and click Home > Merge & Center.

    merge and center button on the ribbon

    The data in the merged cell moves to the left cell when the cells split.

    Before and after unmerging cells

Need more help?

You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community or get support in the Answers community.

See Also

Overview of formulas in Excel

How to avoid broken formulas

Find and correct errors in formulas

Excel keyboard shortcuts and function keys

Excel functions (alphabetical)

Excel functions (by category)

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Merging combines two or more cells to create a new, larger cell. This is a great way to create a label that spans several columns. For example, here cells A1, B1, and C1 were merged to create the label “Monthly Sales” to describe the information in rows 2 through 7.

Contents

  • 1 How do I Unmerge cells in Excel and keep all data?
  • 2 What is the use of merged cells and split cells?
  • 3 How do you Unmerge cell data?
  • 4 How do you Unmerge cell and repeat value?
  • 5 What is the difference between merge cell and split cell?
  • 6 What do you understand by merging?
  • 7 What do you mean by merging?
  • 8 Can you Unmerge cells in Excel?
  • 9 How do I Unmerge mass cells in Excel?
  • 10 How do I get data from merged cells in Excel?
  • 11 How do you auto sum merged cells?
  • 12 How do I Unmerge cells in sheets?
  • 13 How do I copy values from a merged cell?
  • 14 What is splitting cell?
  • 15 What is difference between merge and split?
  • 16 What is merging and splitting?
  • 17 What is a merge in computer?
  • 18 How does a merger work?
  • 19 What is a merge in Git?
  • 20 What are the 3 types of mergers?

How do I Unmerge cells in Excel and keep all data?

On the Home tab, in the Alignment group, click Merge & Center.

  1. Or, click the drop-down arrow next to the Merge & Center button and select Unmerge Cells.
  2. Either way, Excel will unmerge all the merged cells in the selection.

What is the use of merged cells and split cells?

You can combine two or more cells and their contents in the same row or column into a single cell. For example, you can merge several cells horizontally to create a table heading that spans several columns.

How do you Unmerge cell data?

  1. Select the range which has merged data.
  2. Click on Merge and Centre to unmerge cells.
  3. Select the range of data again.
  4. Press Ctrl+G > Special > Blanks.
  5. Press = and up arrow key.
  6. Press Ctrl+Enter.

How do you Unmerge cell and repeat value?

Unmerge cells and fill with duplicate data with Go To Special command

  1. Select the columns that have merged cells.
  2. Click Home > Merge & Center > Unmerge Cells. See screenshot:
  3. And the merged cells have been unmerged and only the first cell will be filled with the original values. And then select the range again.

What is the difference between merge cell and split cell?

Splitting cells is similar to adding a row or column, but it all takes place in one cell instead of a group of cells. Merging cells, however, is similar to deleting a cell and then adjoining it with a neighboring cell.Place your mouse cursor in the cell you want to split.

What do you understand by merging?

verb (used with object), merged, merg·ing. to cause to combine or coalesce; unite. to combine, blend, or unite gradually so as to blur the individuality or individual identity of: They voted to merge the two branch offices into a single unit.

What do you mean by merging?

1 : to become combined into one The two banks merged. 2 : to blend or come together without abrupt change merging traffic. Other Words from merge Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More About merge.

Can you Unmerge cells in Excel?

Go to the HOME tab, then click on Merge Center option under Alignment, then Click on the drop-down menu. It will display a list of items, as shown in the below screenshot. Click on the Unmerge Cells option. This option will unmerge all the merged cells in the selection.

How do I Unmerge mass cells in Excel?

Unmerging all merged cells

  1. Select all cells in the worksheet.
  2. On the Home tab, in the Alignment group:
  3. In the Merge & Center list, select Unmerge Cells to unmerge all cells in the selected area:

How do I get data from merged cells in Excel?

Find merged cells

  1. Click Home > Find & Select > Find.
  2. Click Options > Format.
  3. Click Alignment > Merge cells > OK.
  4. Click Find All to see a list of all merged cells in your worksheet. When you click an item in the list, Excel selects the merged cell in your worksheet. You can now unmerge the cells.

How do you auto sum merged cells?

Merging Cells to a Single Sum

  1. Select the cell just to the right of the range you want to collapse.
  2. In this cell, enter a SUM formula that adds up the range.
  3. Copy this formula down to other cells, if necessary.
  4. Select all the cells that contain the SUM formula.
  5. Press Ctrl+C to copy the cells to the Clipboard.

How do I Unmerge cells in sheets?

How to Unmerge Cells in Google Sheets

  1. Select the range that you want to unmerge.
  2. Click the Format option in the menu.
  3. Hover the cursor over the Merge Cells option.
  4. Click on Unmerge.

How do I copy values from a merged cell?

Select and press Ctrl +C to copy the merged cells that you want to paste to other single cells.

What is splitting cell?

Cell splitting is a means of increasing the capacity of a cellular system by subdividing or splitting cells into two or more smaller cells.

What is difference between merge and split?

Merge cells is a feature in Microsoft Word that allows you to join many cells in a table into one cell.Split cells on the other hand is a feature that will allow you to divide a single column or row into more rows especially if you would like to fix some data in between the existing rows or columns.

What is merging and splitting?

Combining multiple cells (two or more) that are in the same row and/or in the same column to a single cell is known as merging cells. Separating the cells that are merged is known as splitting cells.

What is a merge in computer?

Merge is the process of combining the various versions of a file or folder.Merging software is able to combine changes in files placed in two different systems or used by different users.

How does a merger work?

A merger, or acquisition, is when two companies combine to form one to take advantage of synergies. A merger typically occurs when one company purchases another company by buying a certain amount of its stock in exchange for its own stock.

What is a merge in Git?

Merging is Git’s way of putting a forked history back together again. The git merge command lets you take the independent lines of development created by git branch and integrate them into a single branch.The current branch will be updated to reflect the merge, but the target branch will be completely unaffected.

What are the 3 types of mergers?

The three main types of mergers are horizontal, vertical, and conglomerate. In a horizontal merger, companies at the same stage in the same industry merge to reduce costs, expand product offerings, or reduce competition. Many of the largest mergers are horizontal mergers to achieve economies of scale.

Merged cells are one of the most popular options used by beginner spreadsheet users.

But they have a lot of drawbacks that make them a not so great option.

In this post, I’ll show you everything you need to know about merged cells including 8 ways to merge cells.

I’ll also tell you why you shouldn’t use them and a better alternative that will produce the same visual result.

What is a Merged Cell

A merged cell in Excel combines two or more cells into one large cell. You can only merge contiguous cells that form a rectangular shape.

The above example shows a single merged cell resulting from merging 6 cells in the range B2:C4.

Why You Might Merge a Cell

Merging cells is a common technique used when a title or label is needed for a group of cells, rows or columns.

When you merge cells, only the value or formula in the top left cell of the range is preserved and displayed in the resulting merged cell. Any other values or formulas are discarded.

The above example shows two merged cells in B2:C2 and D2:F2 which indicates the category of information in the columns below. For example the First and Last name columns are organized with a Name merged cell.

Why is the Merge Command Disabled?

On occasion, you might find the Merge & Center command in Excel is greyed out and not available to use.

There are two reasons why the Merge & Center command can become unavailable.

  • You are trying to merge cells inside an Excel table.
  • You are trying to merge cells in a protected sheet.

Cells inside an Excel table can not be merged and there is no solution to enable this.

If most of the other commands in the ribbon are greyed out too, then it’s likely the sheet is protected. In order to access the Merge option, you will need to unprotect the worksheet.

This can be done by going to the Review tab and clicking the Unprotect Sheet command.

If the sheet has been protected with a password, then you will need to enter it in order to unprotect the sheet.

Now you should be able to merge cells inside the sheet.

Merged Cells Only Retain the Top Left Values

Warning before you start merging cells!

If the cells contain data or formulas, then you will lose anything not in the upper left cell.

A warning dialog box will appear telling you Merging cells only keeps the upper-left value and discards other values.

The above example shows the result of merging cells B2:C4 which contains text data. Only the data from cell B2 remains in the resulting merged cells.

If no data is present in the selected cells, then no warning will appear when trying to merge cells.

8 Ways to Merge a Cell

Merging cells is an easy task to perform and there are a variety of places this command can be found.

Merge Cells with the Merge & Center Command in the Home Tab

The easiest way to merge cells is using the command found in the Home tab.

  1. Select the cells you want to merge together.
  2. Go to the Home tab.
  3. Click on the Merge & Center command found in the Alignment section.

Merge Cells with the Alt Hotkey Shortcut

There is an easy way to access the Home tab Merge and Center command using the Alt key.

Press Alt H M C in sequence on your keyboard to use the Merge & Center command.

Merge Cells with the Format Cells Dialog Box

Merging cells is also available from the Format Cells dialog box. This is the menu which contains all formatting options including merging cells.

You can open the Format Cells dialog box a few different ways.

  • Go to the Home tab and click on the small launch icon in the lower right corner of the Alignment section.
  • Use the Ctrl + 1 keyboard shortcut.
  • Right click on the selected cells and choose Format Cells.

Go to the Alignment tab in the Format Cells menu then check the Merge cells option and press the OK button.

Merge Cells with the Quick Access Toolbar

If you use the Merge & Center command a lot, then it might make sense to add it to the Quick Access Toolbar so it’s always readily available to use.

Go to the Home tab and right click on the Merge & Center command then choose Add to Quick Access Toolbar from the options.

This will add the command to your QAT which is always available to use.

A nice bonus that comes with the quick access command is it gets its own hotkey shortcut based on its position in the QAT. When you press the Alt key, Excel will show you what key to press next in order to access the command.

In the above example, the Merge and Center command is the third command in the QAT so the hotkey shortcut is Alt 3.

Merge Cells with Copy and Paste

If you have a merged cell in your sheet already then you can copy and paste it to create more merged cells. This will produce merged cells with the exact same dimensions.

Copy a merged cell using Ctrl + C then paste it into a new location using Ctrl + V. Just make sure the paste area doesn’t overlap an existing merged cell.

Merge Cells with VBA

Sub MergeCells()
    Range("B2:C4").Merge
End Sub

The basic command for merging cells in VBA is quite simple. The above code will merge cells B2:C4.

Merge Cells with Office Scripts

function main(workbook: ExcelScript.Workbook) {
	let selectedSheet = workbook.getActiveWorksheet();
	selectedSheet.getRange("B2:C4").merge(false);
	selectedSheet.getRange("B2:C4").getFormat().setHorizontalAlignment(ExcelScript.HorizontalAlignment.center);
}

The above office script will merge and center the range B2:C4.

Merge Cells inside a PivotTable

We can’t make this change for the selected cells because it will affect a PivotTable. Use the field list to change the report. If you are trying to insert or delete cells, move the PivotTable and try again.

If you try to use the Merge and Center command inside a Pivot Table, you will be greeted with the above error message.

You can’t use the Merge & Center command inside a PivotTable, but there is a way to merge cells in the PivotTable options menu.

In order to avail of this option, you will first need to make sure your Pivot Table is in the tabular display mode.

  1. Select a cell inside your PivotTable.
  2. Go to the Design tab.
  3. Click on Report Layout.
  4. Choose Show in Tabular Form.

Your pivot table will now be in the tabular form where each field you add to the Rows area will be in its own column with data in a displayed in a single row.

Now you can enable the option to show merge cells inside the pivot table.

  1. Select a cell inside your PivotTable.
  2. Go to the PivotTable Analyze tab.
  3. Click on Options.

This will open up the PivotTable Options menu.

Enable the Merge and center cells with labels setting in the PivotTable Options menu.

  1. Click on the Layout & Format tab.
  2. Check the Merge and center cells with labels option.
  3. Press the OK button.

Now as you expand and collapse fields in your pivot table, fields will merge when they have a common label.

10 Ways to Unmerge a Cell

Unmerging a cell is also quick and easy. Most methods involve the same steps as used to merge the cell, but there are a few extra methods worth knowing.

Unmerge Cells with the Home Tab Command

This is the same process as merging cells from the Home tab command.

  1. Select the merged cells to unmerge.
  2. Go to the Home tab.
  3. Click on the Merge & Center command.

Unmerge Cells with the Format Cells Menu

You can unmerge cells from the Format Cells dialog box as well.

Press Ctrl + 1 to open the Format Cells menu then go to the Alignment tab then uncheck the Merge cells option and press the OK button.

Unmerge Cells with the Alt Hot Key Shortcut

You can use the same Alt hot key combination to unmerge a merged cell. Select the merged cell you want to unmerge then press Alt H M C in sequence to unmerge the cells.

Unmerge Cells with Copy and Paste

You can copy the format from a regular single cell to unmerge merged cells.

Find a single cell and use Ctrl + C to copy it, then select the merged cells and press Ctrl + V to paste the cell.

You can use the Paste Special options to avoid overwriting any data when pasting. Press Ctrl + Alt + V then select the Formats option.

Unmerge Cells with the Quick Access Toolbar

This is a great option if you have already added the Merge & Center command to the quick access toolbar previously.

All you need to do is select the merged cells and click on the command or use the Alt hot key shortcut.

Unmerge Cells with the Clear Formats Command

Merged cells are a type of format, so it’s possible to unmerge cells by clearing the format from the cell.

  1. Select the merged cell to unmerge.
  2. Go to the Home tab.
  3. Click on the right part of the Clear button found in the Editing section.
  4. Select Clear Formats from the options.

Unmerge Cells with VBA

Sub UnMergeCells()
    Range("B2:C4").UnMerge
End Sub

Above is the basic command for unmerging cells in VBA. This will unmerge cells B2:C4.

Unmerge Cells with Office Scripts

Most methods of merging a cell can be performed again to unmerge cells like a toggle switch to merge or unmerge.

However the code in office scripts doesn’t work like this and instead, you will need to remove formatting to unmerge.

function main(workbook: ExcelScript.Workbook) {
	let selectedSheet = workbook.getActiveWorksheet();
	selectedSheet.getRange("B2:C4").clear(ExcelScript.ClearApplyTo.formats);
}

The above code will clear the format in cells B2:C4 and unmerge any merged cells it contains.

Unmerge Cells with the Accessibility Pane

Merged cells create problems for screen readers which is an accessibility issue. Because of this, they are flagged in the Accessibility window pane.

If you know the location of the merged cells, you can select them and go to the Review tab then click on the lower part of the Check Accessibility button and choose Unmerge Cells.

If you don’t know where all the merged cells are, you can open up the accessibility pane and it will show you where there are and you will be able to unmerge them one by one.

Go to the Review tab and click on the top part of the Check Accessibility command to launch the accessibility window pane.

This will show a Merged Cells section which you can expand to see all merged cells in the workbook. Click on the address and Excel will take you to that location.

Click on the downward chevron icon to the right of the address and the Unmerge option can be selected.

Unmerge Cells inside a PivotTable

To unmerge cells inside a pivot table, you just need to disable the setting in the pivot table options menu.

Now you can enable the option to show merge cells inside the pivot table.

  1. Select a cell inside your PivotTable.
  2. Go to the PivotTable Analyze tab.
  3. Click on Options.
  4. Click on the Layout & Format tab.
  5. Uncheck the Merge and center cells with labels option.
  6. Press the OK button.

Merge Multiple Ranges in One Step

In Excel, you can select multiple non-continuous ranges in a sheet by holding the Ctrl key. A nice consequence of this is you can convert these multiple ranges into merged cells in one step.

Hold the Ctrl key while selecting multiple ranges with the mouse. When you’re finished selecting the ranges you can release the Ctrl key and then go to the Home tab and click on the Merge & Center command.

Each range will become its own merged cell.

Combine Data Before Merging Cells

Before you merge any cells which contain data, it’s advised to combine the data since only the data in the top left cell is preserved when merging cells.

There are a variety of ways to do this, but using the TEXTJOIN function is among the easiest and most flexible as it will allow you to separate each cell’s data using a delimiter if needed.

= TEXTJOIN ( ", ", TRUE, B2:C4 )

The above formula will join all the text in range B2:C4 going from left to right and then top to bottom. Text in each cell is separated with a comma and space.

Once you have the formula result, you can copy and paste it as a value so that the data is retained when you merge the cells.

How to Get Data from Merged Cells in Excel

A common misconception is that each cell of in the merged range contains the data entered inside.

In fact, only the top left cell will contain any data.

In the above example, the formula references the top left value in the merged range. The result returned is what is seen in the merged range.

In this example, the formula references a cell that is not the top left most cell in the merged range. The result is 0 because this cell is empty and contains no value.

In order to extract data from a merged range, you will always need to reference the top left most cell of the range. Fortunately, Excel automatically does this for you when you select the merged cell in a formula.

How to Find Merged Cells in a Workbook

If you create a bunch of merged cells, you might need to find them all later. Thankfully it’s not a painful process.

This can be done using the Find & Select command.

Go to the Home tab and click on the Find & Select button found in the Editing section, then choose the Find option. This will open the Find and Replace menu

You can also use the Ctrl + F keyboard shortcut.

You don’t need to enter any text to find, you can use this menu to find cells formatted as merged cells.

  1. Click on the Format button to open the Find Format menu.
  2. Go to the Alignment tab.
  3. Check the Merge cells option.
  4. Press the OK button in the Find Format menu.
  5. Press the Find All or Find Next button in the Find and Replace menu.

Unmerge All Merged Cells

Fortunately, unmerging all merged cells in a sheet is very easy.

  1. Select the entire sheet. You can do this two ways.
    • Click on the select all button where the column headings meet the row headings.
    • Press Ctrl + A on your keyboard.
  2. Go to the Home tab.
  3. Press the Merge & Center command.

This will unmerge all the merged cells and leave all the other cells unaffected.

Why You Shouldn’t Merge Cells

There are a lot of reasons why you shouldn’t merge cells.

  • You can’t sort data with merged cells.
  • You can’t filter data with merged cells.
  • You can’t copy and paste values into merged cells.
  • It will create accessibility problems for screen readers by changing the order in which text should be read.

This isn’t an exhaustive list, there are likely many more you will come across should you choose to merge cells.

Alternative to Merging a Cell

Good news!

There is a much better alternative than merging cells.

This alternative has none of the negative features that come with merging cells but will still allow you to achieve the same visual look of a merged cell.

It will allow you to display text centered across a range of cells without merging the cells.

Unfortunately, this technique will only work horizontally with one row of cells. There is no option to do something similar with a vertical range of cells.

Select the horizontal range of cells that you would like to center your text across. The first cell should contain the text which is to be centered while the remaining cells should be empty.

This example shows text in cell B2 and the range B2:C2 is selected as the range to center across.

Go to the Home tab and click on the small launch icon in the lower right corner of the Alignment section. This will open up the Format Cells dialog box with the Alignment tab active.

You can also press Ctrl + 1 to open the Format Cells dialog box and navigate to the Alignment tab.

Select Center Across Selection from the Horizontal dropdown options in the Text alignment section.

The text will now appear as though it occupies all cells but it will only exist in the first cell of the centering selection and each cell is still separate.

Pros

  • The text appears centered across the selected range similar to a merged cell.
  • No negative effects from merged cells.
  • Can be used inside an Excel table.

Cons

  • Can not center across a vertical range of cells.

Conclusions

There are lots of ways to merge cells in Excel. You can also easily unmerge cells too if you need to.

There are many things to consider when merging cells in Excel.

As you have seen, there are lots of pitfalls to merged cells that you should consider before implementing them in your workbooks.

Do you have a favorite merge method or warning about the dangers of merged cells that are not listed in the post? Let me know about it in the comments.

About the Author

John MacDougall

John is a Microsoft MVP and qualified actuary with over 15 years of experience. He has worked in a variety of industries, including insurance, ad tech, and most recently Power Platform consulting. He is a keen problem solver and has a passion for using technology to make businesses more efficient.

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Объединяйте ячейки в Excel так, как вам нужно

Объединяем ячейки, строки и столбцы без потери данных

Если вам нужно объединить несколько ячеек в одну, объединить столбцы по строкам или строки по столбцам, функция «Объединить ячейки (Merge Cells)» станет для вас лучшим помощником. Просто выберите диапазон, укажите, как нужно объединить, выберите разделитель для разделения значений, нажмите кнопку «Объединить» — и ваши ячейки мгновенно объединяются без потери значений.

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С помощью мастера объединения ячеек Merge Cells вы сможете:

Объединить несколько ячеек в одну

Объедините несколько ячеек Excel и поместите результат либо в верхнюю левую / правую ячейку, либо в нижнюю левую / правую ячейку.

Объединить столбцы построчно

Объедините столбцы и сохраните результат в крайнем левом или крайнем правом столбце.

Объединить строки столбец за столбцом

Объедините несколько строки поместите результат в верхнюю или нижнюю.

Сохранить все свои данные при объединении ячеек

Надстройка не удалит ваши данные, даже если каждая ячейка выделенного фрагмента содержит значения.

Управлять результатами

Вы можете очистить содержимое выбранных ячеек, пропустить пустые ячейки, объединить все области в выделенном фрагменте, переносить текст внутри ячейки с результатом.

Разделить ваши объединенные значения

Установите разделитель для объединенных значений: запятая, точка с запятой, пробел, перенос строки или любой символ по вашему выбору.

Объединять столбцы, объединять ячейки, объединять строки

Быстрый и простой способ сделать все сразу

Объединяйте столбцы, строки и ячейки —
и сохраните все свои данные

Разделяйте значения
точкой с запятой, запятой, пробелом, переводом строки
или любым другим символом по вашему выбору.

Объедините все выделенные области
 за один шаг

Приложение Ultimate Suite уже используют
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Что такое Merge Cells и для чего он мне нужен?

Объедининие ячеек — это надстройка для Microsoft Excel, которая объединяет значения в столбцах, ячейках и строках. Если вам нужно получить одну ячейку из нескольких, объединить столбцы по строкам или строки по столбцам, утилита Merge Cells станет для вас лучшим помощником.

Разве Microsoft Excel не делает то же самое без надстроек?

Нет, это не так. Если вы объедините ячейки с помощью встроенной кнопки Excel, вы сохраните только верхнее левое значение, а остальные данные будут удалены и утеряны. Это же инструмент сохраняет все ваши данные и позволяет решить, следует ли объединить значения в одну выбранную ячейку или объединить все области в выделении.

Как работает инструмент слияния ячеек?

Вы запускаете надстройку, выбираете нужный диапазон и выбираете, что объединить: столбцы, ячейки или строки. Затем вы указываете разделитель для объединенных значений. Это может быть пробел, запятая, точка с запятой, разрыв строки или любой разделитель по вашему выбору. Вы сами определяете место, куда записать результат. Вы также можете очистить содержимое выбранных ячеек, объединить все области в выделенном фрагменте, пропустить пустые ячейки и перенести текст. Результат будет готов через несколько секунд.

Более подробно читайте здесь.

Могу ли я объединить значения в одну ячейку?

Да, это то, что надстройка делает по умолчанию. Если вы не установите флажок «Объединить все области в выделенном фрагменте» , ваши значения будут объединены в одну выбранную ячейку.

Как объединить ячейки в Excel и сохранить все данные?

Инструмент объединения ячеек сохраняет все данные, даже если выделенные ячейки содержат несколько значений. Здесь вы больше никогда не увидите сообщение «Выбранные ячейки содержат несколько значений. При объединении в одну ячейку сохранятся только данные из левой верхней» . Ваши данные в Microsoft Excel никогда не пропадут!

Могу ли я объединить ячейки, если выбрано несколько несмежных ячеек или диапазонов?

Конечно! Для этого просто отметьте опцию Объединить все области .

В моей таблице есть пустые ячейки, они не будут мешать?

Чтобы объединять только ячейки с данными, отметьте опцию Пропускать пустые ячейки.

Я хочу, чтобы мои объединенные значения соответствовали размеру ячейки. Является ли это возможным?

Конечно, просто поставьте галочку в пункте Переносить текст, и результат уместится в размер выбранной ячейки.

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Merging a cell in excel refers to combining two or more adjacent cells either vertically, horizontally or both ways. Merging excel cells is specifically required when a heading or title has to be centered over an area of a worksheet.

For example, a worksheet contains a balance sheet, a profit and loss account, and a cash flow statement. This data is spread across columns A to H. Hence, to place the title “financial statements” in the center of the data, the cell range A1:H1 has to be merged.

The purpose of merging excel cells is to make the data presentable and readable for the end-user.

Since merging creates a large cell by joining several small ones, the task of resizing individual cells is eliminated. The large cell thus created is displayed across multiple columns or/and rows.

“Merge and center” is an in-built button of merging excel cells placed under the Home tab of Excel. This option merges the cells and not their values. Before merging, it is essential to select the cells to be merged.

Table of contents
  • Merge Cells in Excel
    • The Techniques of Merge Cells in Excel
    • How to Merge Cells in Excel?
      • Method #1–“Merge and Center” Drop-down
        • Example #1
      • Method #2–CONCATENATE Function
        • Example #2
      • Method #3–Ampersand Operator (&)
        • Example #3
      • The “Unmerge Cells” Option
        • Example #4
    • An Alternate Method for Center Alignment
      • Example #5
      • Example #6–Merge Multiple Cells
      • Example #7–Merge the Title Cell
      • Example #8–Merge two Column Values With the Ampersand Operator
      • Example #9–Merge two Column Values With the Concatenate Function
    • The Limitations of Merging Excel Cells
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Recommended Articles

You can download this Merge Cells Excel Template here – Merge Cells Excel Template

The Techniques of Merge Cells in Excel

The different ways of merging cells in Excel are listed as follows:

  1. “Merge and center” drop-down
  2. CONCATENATE function
  3. Ampersand operator (&)

How to Merge Cells in Excel?

Let us understand how to merge cells in Excel. We discuss the three merging techniques followed by a few more topics. Each topic consists of an example. Thereafter, some relevant examples are taken up.

Method #1–“Merge and Center” Drop-down

The “merge and centerThe merge and center button is used to merge two or more different cells. When data is inserted into any merged cells, it is in the center position, hence the name merge and center. read more” drop-down consists of various merging options that help combine multiple cells into one. It can be found under the “alignment” group of the Home tab, as shown in the following image.

Merge Cells in Excel 1

The different options of the “merge and center” drop-down are explained as follows:

  • Merge and center: This merges the selected cells and places the data string in the center. While merging, it retains the text of the upper-leftmost cell only. The text of the remaining merged cells is deleted.
  • Merge across: This merges across, implying that the selected cells of the same row are joined together. It merges the values of one row at one time. It retains the text of the upper-leftmost cell only.
  • Merge cells: This merges all the selected cells into one single cell. The cells can be selected either horizontally or vertically, or both. It retains the text of the upper-leftmost cell only.
  • Unmerge cells: This unmerges the cells implying that the merged cells are split into separate cells again.

Note 1: The difference between the options “merge and center” and “merge cells” is in the alignment of the merged output.

Note 2: The excel shortcutAn Excel shortcut is a technique of performing a manual task in a quicker way.read more for merging (merge and center) is “Alt+H+M+C” and for unmerging is “Alt+H+M+U.” Both the shortcuts must be pressed one by one.

Example #1

The following table shows the first and the last names in columns A and B respectively. We want to merge the two names with the help of the “merge and center” option.

The steps to merge cells with the “merge and center” option are listed as follows:

  1. Select the cells A2 and B2, which are to be merged.

    Alternative Method to Merge Cells 1

  2. From the “merge and center” drop-down in the Home tab, choose “merge and center”.

    merge and center

  3. A message appears stating that only the upper-leftmost data will be retained. Click “Ok”.

    The Selection contains multiple data values

  4. The cells A2 and B2 are joined with the name “John” in the center. The output is shown in the following image.
    The cells A2 and B2 are merged rather than their values. Hence, the text of cell B2 (Abhraham) is deleted while merging cells.

    Step 4 - merge

Method #2–CONCATENATE Function

The CONCATENATE functionThe CONCATENATE function in Excel helps the user concatenate or join two or more cell values which may be in the form of characters, strings or numbers.read more combines or concatenates the content of two or more cells. In other words, the values of several cells are joined together in one cell. This function ensures that no data string is lost while merging cell values in excel.

The following image illustrates the CONCATENATE formula for joining the values of cells A2 and B2 with a space in between.

formula

The three parts of the function are explained as follows:

  • Part 1 (A2): This is the first cell reference to be joined.
  • Part 2 (” “): This is the delimiter “space” that separates the values of the two cells.
  • Part 3 (B2): This is the second cell reference to be joined.
Example #2

Working on the data of example #1, we want to merge the first and the last name with a space in between. Use the CONCATENATE function.

The steps to merge cell values with the CONCATENATE formula are listed as follows:

Step 1: Select the cell C2 in which the output is required.

Step 2: Enter the following CONCATENATE formula in cell C2.

“=CONCATENATE(A2,” “,B2)”

Step 3: Press the “Enter” key. The output appears in cell C2, as shown in the following image.

Hence, the values of cells A2 and B2 are merged.

Method #3–Ampersand Operator (&)

The ampersand operator combines different text stringsTo combine text from two or more cells into one cell, select the cell to begin with, then type «=» and select the desired cell to combine, then type «&» and use quotation marks with a space enclosed, and finally select the next required cell to connect and press the enter key.read more by the insertion of “&” within the formula. The formula for combining the values of cells A2 and B2 with a space in between is “=A2&” “&B2”

By using the ampersand, no data string is lost while merging cell values in excel.

Example #3

Working on the data of example #1, we want to join the first and the last name with the help of the ampersand.

The steps to merge cell values with the ampersand operator are listed as follows:

Step 1: Enter the following formula in cell D2.

“=A2&” “&B2”

Step 2: Press the “Enter” key. The output appears in cell D2, as shown in the following image.

Hence, the content of cells A2 and B2 has been merged.

The “Unmerge Cells” Option

Once the cells have been merged, they can be unmerged as well. The “unmerge excel cellsTo unmerge cells in Excel, first select the cells you wish to unmerge, then go to the Home tab and click Unmerge Cells.read more” option (under the “merge and center” drop-down) splits the merged cells, thereby returning the initial layout of cells. However, the data values lost in merging are not restored.

Example #4

Working on the data of example #1, we want to unmerge the merged entries in rows 2 and 4. These entries were merged with the “merge and center” option. Use the “unmerge cells” option for unmerging.

The steps to unmerge data are listed as follows:

Step 1: Select the complete data range A2:B5.

Step 2: Click “unmerge cells” from the “merge and center” drop-down under the Home tab.

Step 3: The cells in rows 2 and 4 have been unmerged. However, the initial data values of column B (shown in example #1) are not restored.

Note: Alternatively, select the merged entries one by one. Thereafter, apply the “unmerge cells” option separately for each entry.

An Alternate Method for Center Alignment

It is difficult to sort (“sort and filter” group of Data tab) merged cells. This is because sorting a merged range in an ascending or a descending order returns a message stating that the cells need to be “identically sized.”

To overcome this limitation, there is an alternate option which does not merge cells but applies the same formatting as the “merge and center” option. In other words, the cells are aligned centrally without any data strings being lost.

The alternate option “center across selection” is available in the “alignment” tab of the “format cells” dialog box.

Example #5

Working on the data of example #1, we want to apply the same formatting as the “merge and center” option without losing any data. Use the “center across selection” alternative.

The steps to format data with the “center across selection” option are listed as follows:

Step 1: Select cells A2 and B2, which are to be formatted.

Step 2: Press “Ctrl+1” together. The “format cellsFormatting cells is an important technique to master because it makes any data presentable, crisp, and in the user’s preferred format. The formatting of the cell depends upon the nature of the data present.read more” dialog box opens, as shown in the following image.

Step 3: Click the “alignment” tab.

Step 4: Select “center across selection” from the drop-down of “horizontal.” Click “Ok.”

Step 5: The formatted output is shown in row 2 of the following image. Hence, the content of cells A2 and B2 is centrally aligned without any loss of data.

Example #6–Merge Multiple Cells

The following table shows the monthly sales (in $) for the years 2016 to 2019. Every year written in column A is followed by two blank cells.

We want to merge the year with the two cells following it so that one cell is created for one year.

The steps to merge multiple cells in Excel are listed as follows:

Step 1: Select the cells A2, A3, and A4.

Step 2: Select “merge and center” from the “merge and center” drop-down of the Home tab. In case the message appears, click “Ok” to merge the cells.

Once merged, apply “middle align” from the “alignment” section of the Home tab. Moreover, bold the text “2016.”

Trick to merge many cells 3

Step 3: Keep the cell containing “2016” selected. Double-click on “format painterFormat painter in Excel is a tool used to copy the same format of a single cell or a group of cells to the other cells. You will find it on the home tab in the clipboard section.read more” under the Home tab.

Trick to merge many cells 4

Step 4: For applying the formatting of “2016” to the remaining cells, press the down arrow key. Excel keeps merging the three excel cells for every year till the “escape” key is pressed.

Trick to merge many cells 5

Example #7–Merge the Title Cell

The following table shows the number of units of a particular product sold by the different sales representatives of an organization. In addition, the date of sale (column A) and the respective region (column C) are also displayed.

The cell B2 shows the title of the table, which is not completely visible currently. We want to merge the cells A2:E2 so that the title is spread across columns A to E.

Merge cells shorcut Example 1

Step 1: Select the cells A2, B2, C2, D2, and E2 to be merged. The selection can be carried out in any of the following ways:

  • Select with the mouse.
  • Select by pressing and holding “Shift” along with the relevant arrow keys.

The same is shown in the following image.

Merge cells shortcut Example 1-1

Step 2: Select “merge and center” from the alignment group of the Home tab, as shown in the following image.

Merge cells shortcut Example 1-2

Step 3: In this case, Excel will not display the message stating that only the upper-leftmost data will be retained. This is because only cell B2 contains data while the remaining cells (A2, C2, D2, and E2) are empty.

However, if the following message does appear, click “Ok.”

Merge cells shorcut Example 1-3

Step 4: The cell range A2:E2 is merged. The title “mobile_sales_data_in_different_region” appears in the center of columns A to E.

To make the title stand out, give it a color.

Merge cells shortcut Example 1-4

Example #8–Merge two Column Values With the Ampersand Operator

The following table shows the first and last names in columns A and B respectively. We want to perform the following tasks:

a) Merge the data strings of columns A and B with a space in between.

b) Merge the data strings of columns A and B without any spaces.

a) Step 1: Select the cell C2 in which the formula for merging data strings is to be entered.

Merge cells shortcut Example 2

Step 2: In cell C2, enter the operator “equal to” (=) followed by selecting cell A2 (the first cell to be combined).

Merge cells shortcut Example 2-1

Step 3: Enter the ampersand operator (&) followed by a space enclosed within double quotation marks. Enter another (second) ampersand.

Merge cells shortcut Example 2-2

Step 4: Select cell B2, which is the second cell to be combined. After entering the complete formula (=A2&” “&B2), press the “Enter” key.

Merge cells shortcut Example 2-3

Step 5: The merged output appears in cell C2. Hence, the first and the last names have been combined with a space in between.

Merge cells shortcut Example 2-4

Step 6: Drag the formula to the remaining cells. Hence, the full names (with a space in between) for the entire range (C2:C5) are obtained.

Merge cells shortcut Example 2-5

b) We apply the following formula in cell C2.

“=A2&B2”

Press the “Enter” key. Drag the formula to obtain the output in the remaining cells.

The formula merges the values of columns A and B without any spaces between the data strings. The merged output is shown in the following image.

Merge two column data without any spaces

Example #9–Merge two Column Values With the Concatenate Function

Working on the data of example #8, we want to merge the first and the last name with a space between them. Use the CONCATENATE function of Excel.

Step 1: Enter the following formula in cell I2.

“=CONCATENATE(G2,” “,H2)”

Merge cells shortcut Example 2-6

Step 2: Press the “Enter” key. The merged output is shown in the following image.

Hence, the names of cells G2 and H2 are joined with a space in between.

Merge cells shortcut Example 2-7

Step 3: Drag the formula to obtain the output in the remaining cells. Hence, the full names (with a space in between) for the entire range (I2:I5) are obtained.

Merge cells shortcut Example 2-8

The Limitations of Merging Excel Cells

The drawbacks of merging cells in Excel are stated as follows:

  • While merging with the “merge and center” drop-down, only the upper-leftmost data is retained and the remaining data is deleted.
  • The merging options of the “merge and center” drop-down merge only the excel cells, not their values.
  • Once merged, it becomes difficult to sort data whether in an ascending or a descending order.

Note: It is recommended to use the merging options of the “merge and center” drop-down in worksheets that are just meant for presentation purposes. In addition, limit the usage of these options to headings and cell titles only.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What does it mean to merge cells and how is it done in Excel?

Merging helps combine the data strings of two or more cells. In the process, a single large cell is created from multiple smaller cells. The goal of merging is to improve the presentation of the worksheet.

For example, while storing the contact numbers of employees in Excel, their first and last names (appearing in different columns) have to be merged in one column.

The steps of merging excel cells are listed as follows:
• Select the cells to be merged.
• From the “merge and center” drop-down, choose any one of the three merging options depending on the requirement.
• Click “Ok” in the message that appears.

The selected cells are merged. The value of only the upper-leftmost cell is retained in the merged output.

Note: Before merging with the “merge and center” drop-down, ensure that the entries of all cells are saved in a separate worksheet. This helps retain a copy of the data that is deleted while merging.

2. How to merge cells while retaining data in Excel?

The CONCATENATE function and the ampersand operator (&) help merge cells without losing data. The formulas for the same are mentioned as follows:

To merge cells A1 and B1 with spaces in between:

“=CONCATENATE(A1,” “,B1)” or “=A1&” “&B1”

To merge cells A1 and B1 without spaces in between:

“=CONCATENATE(A1,B1)” or “=A1&B1”

Note 1: While entering the preceding formulas in Excel, ensure that the beginning and the ending double quotation marks are removed.

Note 2: The CONCATENATE function can combine up to 255 strings while there are no such limitations with the usage of the ampersand.

3. How to merge cells in Excel with a comma and hyphen in between?

The CONCATENATE function and the ampersand operator (&) help merge cells with a comma and hyphen in between. The formulas are mentioned as follows:

To merge cells A1 and B1 without spaces but with a comma in between:

“=CONCATENATE(A1,””,B1)” or “=A1&”,”&B1″

To merge cells A1 and B1 with a comma and space in between:

“=CONCATENATE(A1,””,B1)” or “=A1&”, “&B1”

To merge cells A1 and B1 with a hyphen in between:

“=CONCATENATE(A1,”-“,B1)” or “=A1&”-“&B1”

Note: While entering the preceding formulas in Excel, ensure that the beginning and the ending double quotation marks are removed.

Recommended Articles

This has been a guide to merging cells in Excel. Here we discuss how to merge cells in Excel using CONCATENATE and “&” along with Excel examples and a downloadable Excel template. You may also look at these useful Excel articles-

  • Merge Worksheet in ExcelMerging data from multiple worksheets into one worksheet is possible with Excel’s «Consolidate» feature. Also, starting with Excel 2010, we can use «Power Query» as a worksheet merger.read more
  • Merge Tables in ExcelWe can use a number of different methods to merge tables in Excel, including the VLOOKUP function, the INDEX function, and the MATCH function.read more
  • Shortcut to Merge Cells in ExcelIn Excel, there are four shortcuts for merging cells. The most popular method is Alt + H + M + C. Before using the merge command, you must first select the cells.read more

In this article, we will learn Merge and Center in Microsoft Excel.

What is Merge and Centre ?

Merge & Center is a feature in excel that combines multiple cells and centers the contents of the first cell. You can merge columns and rows too. This is used to combine multiple cells into a single cell and create the main headers for Excel dashboards in Microsoft Excel.

There are four options available in Merge and Center:-

Merge and center : This feature Combines & centers the cell text in Excel.

2nd Merge Across : This feature works only on the selected rows and combines the multple columns of the row

but the text in the merged cell will be right aligned.

3rd Merge Cells : This feature just combines the selected cells

4th Unmerge Cells : This feature Unmerge the selected cells to their default place

Example :

All of these might be confusing to understand. Let’s understand how to use the function using an example. Here we are going to perform Merge and Centre on the below table

Shortcut to merge two or more cells in excel

Select the cells to be merged, and use Alt > H > M > C sequentially

As we can see text in B1 cell is now merged and centered in B1 to D1 cells.

Note:  Merge and Centre option takes the text of only one cell which will be upper-left most cell while performing Merge and center.

You have to be careful about your content in the cells which is to be merged. So let’s get this by an example below.

We need to merge the text to B1 to D1. So the text in the cell C1 will be erased and text in cell B1 will be merged and centered in cell B1 to D1 but it shows a warning before doing so.

Click OK and output will be like as shown below.

Now the same function will be performed on E1 to G1 cell and H1 to J1 cells.

So we will use the F4 key to perform the last function again.

In the above image data of Team A is under Team A label. Similarly, for Team B and Team C, we can say the same.

How to Unmerge Cells in Excel

So when you have two or cell merged and you want to unmerge them, use merge and center button.

Steps to unmerge cells

  • Select merged Cells
  • Go to the home tab> Click on “Merge & Center” in Alignment Group.
  • And It’s done. The cells are unmerged.

Same thing can be done using shortcut ALT>H>M>C sequential.

Now remember that the value that was in the merged cell will be only in the left-upper cell and the other cell will be empty, blank, null, void and black hole as you can see in the below image.

This leads to our next mission of how to Unmerge cells and fill each cell with the original value.

I found some frequently asked questions related to Merge and Center in Excel.

Q1. How to merge columns in Excel?

Ans: Simple, select the columns and press keys ALT>H>M>C sequentially. Done. Next.

Q2. How to unmerge cells in excel?

Again same, select merged cells and press keys ALT>H>M>C sequentially. Done. Next.

Q3. How to merge cells in word? 

Well, this is an Excel tutorial but still, select the cell in word and press ALT>J>L>M.

Hope this article about using Merge and Center in Microsoft Excel is explanatory. Find more articles on using more keyboard shortcuts here. If you liked our blogs, share it with your friends on Facebook. And also you can follow us on Twitter and Facebook. We would love to hear from you, do let us know how we can improve, complement or innovate our work and make it better for you. Write us at info@exceltip.com

Related Articles :

How to use the Shortcut To Toggle Between Absolute and Relative References in Excel : F4 shortcut to convert absolute to relative reference and same shortcut use for vice versa in Excel.

How to use Shortcut Keys for Merge and Center in Excel : Use Alt and then follow h, m and c to Merge and centre cells in Excel.

How to Select Entire Column and Row Using Keyboard Shortcuts in Excel : Use Ctrl + Space to select whole column and  Shift + Space to select whole row using keyboard shortcut in Excel

Paste Special Shortcut in Mac and Windows : In windows, the keyboard shortcut for paste special is Ctrl + Alt + V. Whereas in Mac, use Ctrl + COMMAND + V key combination to open the paste special dialog in Excel.

How to Insert Row Shortcut in Excel : Use Ctrl + Shift + = to open the Insert dialog box where you can insert row, column or cells in Excel.

50 Excel Shortcuts to Increase Your Productivity : Get faster at your tasks in Excel. These shortcuts will help you increase your work efficiency in Excel.

Popular Articles :

How to use the IF Function in Excel : The IF statement in Excel checks the condition and returns a specific value if the condition is TRUE or returns another specific value if FALSE.

How to use the VLOOKUP Function in Excel : This is one of the most used and popular functions of excel that is used to lookup value from different ranges and sheets.

How to Use SUMIF Function in Excel : This is another dashboard essential function. This helps you sum up values on specific conditions.

How to use the COUNTIF Function in Excel : Count values with conditions using this amazing function. You don’t need to filter your data to count specific values. Countif function is essential to prepare your dashboard.

Merge and Unmerge Cells in Excel

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated February 19, 2022

Applies to: Microsoft® Excel® 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021 and 365 (Windows)

In Excel, you can merge cells using the Ribbon or the Format Cells dialog box. You can also access merge commands by right-clicking or using keyboard shortcuts. Typically, when a user wants to merge cells, they are trying to place longer headers in one cell (such as January Actual Sales). You can merge cells horizontally across columns or vertically across rows.

If you want to combine data from cells in a worksheet (such as first name and last name) in another cell, you can use the CONCATENATE function, the CONCAT function, the CONCATENATE operator, the TEXTJOIN function or Flash Fill.

Recommended article: How to Combine Cells in Excel using Concatenate (3 Ways)

Do you want to learn more about Excel? Check out our virtual classroom or in-person Excel courses >

Merge cells options are available in the Alignment group on the Home tab in the Ribbon:

Merge cells commands on the Home tab in the Excel Ribbon.

Merge cells removes data

If you merge cells with text, only the text in the upper leftmost cell will be used and text in cells to the right (and below) will be removed. If there is data to the right or below in the cells that you are merging, a dialog box appears warning that Excel will keep the upper left values and remove other data.

Merge cells issues

Merged cells cause problems in lists or data sets as Excel will have difficulty associating data with merged headers or merged cells in the data with the correct headers. If you have longer headers in lists or data sets, it’s best to create shorter headers in single cells above the associated data. You will not be able to sort or filter a range with merged cells.

It’s usually better to use Center Across Selection rather than Merge Cells because Excel will not merge the selected cells into one cell, it will simply center the data. This command is available through the Format Cells dialog box. If you are want to merge a title across the top of a worksheet, this is usually the best choice.

Excel merge cells options

Excel merge options include:

  • Merge & Center – this will merge the selected cells into one cell and center the data from the upper leftmost cell across the selected cells (if cells to the right or below the upper leftmost cell in the selection contain data, it will be removed).
  • Merge Across – this will merge the selected cells into one cell  from the leftmost cell across the selected cells (if cells to the right of the leftmost cell in the selection contain data, it will be removed). It does not automatically center the data. Merge Across only works for selections across columns, not rows.
  • Merge Cells – this will merge the selected cells into one cell  from the upper leftmost cell across the selected cells (if cells to the right or below the upper leftmost cell in the selection contain data, it will be removed). It does not automatically center the data.
  • Unmerge Cells – this will unmerge a cell that has been merged.
  • Center Across Selection (in the Format Cells dialog box) – this will center the data in the selected cells but will not merge the cells into one cell.

In the following example, cells A1 to D1 have been merged using Merge & Center:

A merge cells example with a title merged across 3 cells in an Excel worksheet.

Merge cells using the Ribbon

To merge cells using the Ribbon in Excel:

  1. Select the cells you want to merge by dragging over the cells or click in the first cell and Shift-click in the last cell. The cells must be adjacent to each other.
  2. Click the Home tab in the Ribbon.
  3. In the Alignment group, click the arrow beside Merge & Center. A drop-down menu appears.
  4. Select the merge option you want. The data in the top leftmost cell or uppermost cell will be merged across the selected cells. Data in the other cells will be removed.

Options to merge cells and unmerge cells appear in the Ribbon when you click the arrow beside Merge & Center:

Merge cells drop-down menu in Excel with options to merge cells.

Merge cells using keyboard shortcuts

If you want to access commands on the Ribbon in Excel using your keyboard, you can press Alt to display key tips and then press the displayed key(s).

To merge cells using keyboard shortcuts (key tips):

  1. Select the cells you want to merge by dragging over the cells or click in the first cell and Shift-click in the last cell. The cells must be adjacent to each other.
  2. Press Alt > H > M (this is a sequential shortcut so press Alt then H then M). A drop-down menu with merge options appears in the Ribbon.
  3. Press the displayed letter for the command you want. The data in the top leftmost cell or uppermost cell will be merged across the selected cells. Data in the other cells will be removed.

The following are the keyboard or key tips shortcuts for merging and unmerging cells:

  • Merge & Center – press Alt > H > M > C.
  • Merge Across – press Alt + H + M + A.
  • Merge Cells – press Alt > H > M > M.
  • Unmerge Cells – press Alt > H > M > U.

Key tips appear in the Ribbon when you press Alt > H > M as follows to display merge options:

Merge cells drop-down menu in Excel with keyboard or keytip shortcuts to merge cells.

Unmerge cells

You can unmerge a cell that has been merged.

To unmerge a cell using the Ribbon:

  1. Select the merged cell.
  2. Click the Home tab in the Ribbon.
  3. In the Alignment group, click the arrow beside Merge & Center. A drop-down menu appears.
  4. Select Unmerge Cells.

You can also use the key tips shortcut method to unmerge a cell.

Use Center Across Selection as an alternative to merge cells

You can also use the Format Cells dialog box in Excel to access the Center Across Selection option. In this case, you are actually applying formatting and the cells are not merged. You can display the Format Cells dialog box easily by right-clicking or by pressing Ctrl + 1 (at the top of the keyboard).

To apply Center Across Selection using the Format Cells dialog box:

  1. Select the cells with the data you want to center (in the leftmost cell).
  2. Press Ctrl + 1 or right-click the selected cells and select Format Cells. A dialog box appears.
  3. Click the Alignment tab.
  4. From the Horizontal drop-down menu, choose Center Across Selection.
  5. Click OK.

Center Across Selection appears in the Format Cells dialog box:

Format cells dialog box in Excel with merge cells option for Center Across Selection.

Center across selection is really the best option for merged titles.

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  • You can merge cells in Microsoft Excel as a quick and easy way to create titles, or to spread data neatly across columns and rows.
  • There are several different types of merges you can perform in Excel, but note that all merges will delete all data except the values in the upper-leftmost cell.
  • You can also unmerge cells, but they may then need editing to be realigned and resized correctly.
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Merging cells is an easy task in Excel, and there are several different default merge styles. You can «Merge and Center» (ideal for a title), «Merge Across» (which merges a cell across columns), or «Merge Cells» (which combines cells across both columns and rows). 

In all cases, this will only bring over the content of the cell on the upper-leftmost cell. If there’s other data across the cells you’re trying to merge, you’ll receive a warning saying that merging cells only keeps the upper-left values and discards all others.

How to merge cells in Excel

How to merge and center

1. Highlight the cells you want to merge and center.

2. Click on «Merge & Center,» which should be displayed in the «Alignment» section of the toolbar at the top of your screen.

Mergecells1

The top row of cells here is selected.

Ryan Ariano/Business Insider


3. The cells will now be merged with the data centered in the merged cell.

Mergecells2

The selected cells will merge to become one bigger cell.

Ryan Ariano/Business Insider


How to merge across

1. Highlight the cells you want to merge.

2. Click on the arrow just next to «Merge and Center.»

3. Scroll down to click on «Merge Across.»

Mergecells3

Selecting «Merge Across» will specifically merge only rows.

Ryan Ariano/Business Insider


4. The value on the far-left will now be the sole value for the merged cells, though it’ll keep previous alignments steady. For example, a left-aligned value will stay in the left side of the fully merged cell.

Mergecells4

Alignments don’t shift.

Ryan Ariano/Business Insider


How to merge cells

1. Highlight the cells you want to merge.

2. Click on the arrow just next to «Merge and Center.»

3. Scroll down to click on «Merge Cells».

Mergecells5

This will merge both rows and columns into one large cell, with alignment intact.

Ryan Ariano/Business Insider


4. This will merge the content of the upper-left cell across all highlighted cells.

How to unmerge cells

1. Highlight the combined cell you want to unmerge.

2. Click on the arrow just next to «Merge and Center.»

3. Click on «Unmerge.»

Mergecells8

«Unmerge» will split the cells back into normal size and order.

Ryan Ariano/Business Insider


4. Note that unmerging cells won’t bring back data previously erased by the merging.

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Ryan Ariano grew up in Baltimore when the Macintosh was cutting edge, lived in Los Angeles as Blackberries gave way to iPhones, and now lives in Jackson Hole where his life is held together by Bluetooth. He writes on a wide range of topics but especially loves nerding out across the tech spectrum.
Learn more about how our team of experts tests and reviews products at Insider here.

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